The Department of Justice (DJ) is warning citizens about new fraud schemes using cryptocurrencies to deceive potential victims with false promises of investment and extraordinary gains. The Cybercrime Investigation Unit (UICC) of the DJ investigates monthly complaints related to various types of fraud using digital platforms, social media, and cryptocurrencies. According to fiscal Naydik J.
Ramos Montesinos, director of the UICC, scammers often contact victims through social media, messaging apps, or digital platforms to present business opportunities and promises of exorbitant gains. A recent example of this scheme resulted in the conviction of Ismael Rodríguez Torres, who was sentenced to eight years of probation for illegally appropriating $25,000 from a doctor in Manatí. Rodríguez Torres had promised to invest the money in cryptocurrencies to generate thousands of dollars in gains from supposed emerald mines in Brazil, known as the Pietra Verdí scheme.
The judge, Glendaliz Morales Correa, also ordered Rodríguez Torres to restitution of $25,000 to the victim as compensation for economic losses. The investigation was led by fiscal Luis Otilio Martínez, coordinator of the UICC in the Arecibo Prosecutor's Office.